04 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a cup of cool water, a spring of water, abuse the trust, accept the challenges, and he shall bring it to pass, arrogance, bear fruit, Beelzebub, Bruh David, cast thy burden upon the Lord, Commit thy way to the Lord, Cousin Sol, crumbling to dust, deceit, diligence, encouraging words, enhancing, eternal life, ever-faithful, excellence, friends, full of ourselves, glorify His holy name, godly purposes, guile, hallmark of Christians, he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved, he shall sustain thee, honour, immersed in Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ, Lucifer, moving away from God, One Year Book of Bible promises, paradox, penultimate day, Peter, pinnacle of success, pride, repented, returned to God's fold, reverence, riches, Ruth Harms Calkin, satisfied completely, shall never thirst, Spread God's Word, supernatural powers, terrific Thursday, the great deceiver, the Rock, trust, trust also in him, understanding, welling up to eternal life, When I am with you, whoever drinks the water I give him, wisdom, wisdom of the ages, wise and understanding heart
Psalm 37:5. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
Welcome Friends to a terrific Thursday, the penultimate day of our workweek, and another beautiful day in the annals of history! (Smile) Yes, it does look like a gorgeous day out there, lots of sunshine, though a mite chilly to begin, but will get up to about 20 degrees later on. I can certainly live with that.
So what’s happening with our lives today eh? I do hope that we have positive, godly purposes to pursue, and that we will pursue them diligently and with excellence as our Lord and Saviour and Leader Jesus desires. That ought to be the hallmark of a Christian my brethren; excellence and diligence in all that we do.
Now here’s an interesting little ditty from the One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. This one’s titled ‘WHEN I AM WITH YOU.’ And it says: ‘When I am with You, Lord It is as though I were given A cup of cool water Dipped from An ever-flowing Never-ceasing stream.
The water glistens As a piece of clear ice Tingles against The side of my cup. I want to drink More And more And more As though I could Never drink enough – And yet while I drink I am satisfied completely. What a strange and beautiful Paradox!’
Wow Friends, what a paradox indeed! But that’s what happens when you are immersed in Jesus Christ! All sorts of unlikely but good things happen, for Jesus is not limited to the natural powers and things of this world. He has supernatural powers to do whatever He wants.
That’s why He can make this promise to which that ditty is attached. ‘Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’ (John 4:14 NIV)
And that’s the absolute truth my people. That’s why our Bit is so important to all believers, especially in these difficult days. ‘Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.’
That’s another absolute truth my brethren! Our wonderful, gracious and magnanimous God will never abdicate or abuse the trust we place in Him, for He is ever-faithful and can accomplish whatever purposes or promises He needs to. There’s no deceit or guile whatsoever in Him.
That’s why Bruh David could faithfully proclaim in Psalm 55 – The cry against deceitful friends: ‘Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit) the righteous to be moved (shaken). (Ps.55:22)
What glorious, wonderful, soul enhancing and encouraging words my people! But it won’t happen until and unless we truly believe it and then put it into action. Remember the Lord has already provided us with everything we need to navigate this evil world, but we now have to accept the challenges, call up the things we need, and use them to spread His Word and glorify His Holy Name, for those are our avowed purposes on this earth.
And if by chance you didn’t believe Bruh David, listen to the Rock, Peter, expound on the subject. ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.’ (1 Pet.5:6-7)
And Friends, if anybody should know first-hand about the Lord’s caring, it is Peter, for Jesus showed it to him in so many ways during their sometimes rocky relationship. So if He can show care and compassion to an often troublesome soul like Peter, why wouldn’t he show it to you and I eh?
No reason whatsoever my brethren! But first we have to place that total surrender and faithful trust in Him. Listen to how Cousin Sol puts it in Proverbs, while dealing with moral, ethical and spiritual precepts. ‘Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.’ (Prov.16:3)
The literal translation goes something like: ‘Roll thy works on the Lord.’ But any which way we put it Friends, we desperately need to commit whatever we do to Almighty God so that it can prosper and bear good fruit. If we don’t, there’s no guarantee that it will bear any fruit at all, much less good fruit, which is what we’re supposed to bear.
Ah mih brethren, it’s so sad to see every day a whole bunch of people placing their trust either in Beelzebub, meaning the things of this world, or themselves, neither of which can do anything really meaningful. I don’t understand how we can be moving away from God in such droves, when He is the One who caused us to be prosperous and successful in the first place.
Pride and arrogance my Friends are the most destructive forces in our world. Having attained a level of knowledge, sophistication and technology like never seen before on earth, we have become so full of ourselves, falsely thinking that it was our efforts alone which brought us to the pinnacle of success that we have achieved.
But please notice too my people, that the more we remove God from our lives and our societies, the more we and our societies are finding life difficult with many of both crumbling to the dust from which they were formed.
You have to give credit to the Jews of olden times, for whenever they achieved a modicum of prosperity and then went their own way rejoicing, they felt the backlash of God and eventually repented and returned to His wonderful fold.
However this current society is so full of itself that we won’t even consider going back to God as an option, though we’re seeing all our supposed great societies floundering dreadfully in the mire through following the haphazard, evil and deceitful plans of the great deceiver Lucifer.
And we’ll end with these powerful words which plainly show what’s possible when we deal faithfully with Jehovah God. This deals with the stuff that Cousin Sol asked for when the Lord anointed him king of Israel. Because he didn’t ask for material stuff, but for wisdom and understanding to justly rule the people, see what the Lord did.
‘Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches and honour: so that there shall not be any (anyone) among the kings like unto thee all thy days.
And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy days.’ (1 Kin.3:12-14)
Yes Friends that’s the kind of thing our God does when we come to Him in trust and true reverence. And I implore us to do that this very day, so that both our earthly and heavenly lives will benefit substantially from it, for that’s the wisdom of the ages. Much LOVE!
…to put our entire trust in our sovereign God…that is the wisest thing a human being can do…
01 Jun 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fact of life, a fait accompli, adrenalin, alive and kicking, an easy row to hoe, aura of love, be dead with Christ, be wise, but after the Spirit, children of God, chutzpah, committment, confidence, conquerors, diligently, dominion, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, faith, faithfully, friends, get with the programme, glorious kingdom, Glory be, guidance, gusto, high-fived, holy spirit, humble servants, identification with Christ, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, lies, lifestyle, living for Jesus, LOVE, lusts, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, mortal body, natures, no condemnation, Oh Lord God Almighty, outcasts, prodigal children, rejuvenation of spirit, rewards, right living, right thinking, righteousness., safety, separation from sin, shedding of jesus' blood, sins, sourpusses, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, taunts, thanks, the bondage of sin, things of the flesh, to them which are in Christ Jesus, truth, ungodly world, useful purpose, wake up, walk not after the flesh, wiles, wisdom
Romans:8:1. There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
Well Friends, that wonderful day we call Monday has rolled around once again! Wow!
And yuh know what? I’ve just finished reading the obits and I didn’t see any of our names there. That means we’re still alive and kicking and the Lord still has wonderful plans for our earthly lives! Glory Be! Yes mih people, all glory to our wonderful God and Heavenly Father!
And I do hope that when we got up we gave Him some much appreciated thanks for getting us safely through the night and asked for His safety and guidance as we begin another week of work.
And all you sourpusses out there, who are still miserable and complaining when Monday comes, wake up and be wise nuh. There’s not much we can do about it, so we might as well accept it as a fait accompli, a fact of life and get with the programme. (smile) You’re only making yourself and those around you miserable unnecessarily.
And now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, (smile) let’s get to singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn which is guaranteed to get our spirits up and our adrenalin running. As one big choir now, with much gusto and plenty chutzpah:
‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Now that was most excellent Friends! One of the best renditions we’ve done in long while. Our august choirmaster Jesus, was very proud of us, so much so that He even high-fived the Father, saying with a big grin, ‘That’s my people!’ (smile) Yes Friends, that sort of thing goes on in heaven when we do excellently down here on earth.
So let’s get out there and work diligently and faithfully on Jesus’ behalf nuh, so that we can raise some more joy in heaven. And all God’s people said a loud and sincere: ‘Yes, let’s do it!’
But you know what my brethren? Before we can do ought for Jesus, we have to first read, mark, believe, digest and put our Bit into practice. ‘There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.’
That’s the absolute truth! We are powerless until we truly believe that our sins have been paid for by the shedding of Jesus’ blood on the cross. That means we have been set free from the bondage of sin and are no longer condemned. The Father no longer considers us unseemly outcasts, but prodigal children who have finally come to their senses and have returned to the family home.
Obviously He welcomes us with open arms and there is much celebration in heaven when a wayward child returns to the roost. But then we have to learn to give up the old lifestyle we originally embraced and take up the new one that’s prescribed by Jesus. That’s walking not after the things of the flesh, the lusts of this world, but being led and guided by the Holy Spirit of Almighty God which comes to indwell us when we accept Christ as our Lord and Saviour.
Oh my people, living for Jesus, resisting and rejecting the evil, as well as the material and worthless things of the world, is not an easy row to hoe, but believe me, the rewards are well worth the effort.
Now let’s look at some scripture that ties in admirably with our Bit. This is Bruh Paul writing earlier on in the epistle to the Romans. ‘Now if we be dead (died) with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him. Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once (once and for all): but that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
Likewise reckon ye (consider) also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through (in) Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither yield (present) ye your members as instruments (weapons) of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield (present) yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments (weapons) of righteousness unto God.’ (Rom.6:8-13)
Yeh Friends, I know that’s a mouthful from Bruh Paul, but here are some explanations from the scholars. ‘6:11. Reckon (Gr. logizesthe, “reckon, take into account, calculate”). The believer is to calculate all the facts as to his identification with Christ and his separation from sin, then live accordingly.’
‘6:12. Let not (lit, “stop letting”). The believer is to stop letting sin have mastery over his life.’ ‘6:13. Neither yield ye (lit. “stop presenting”): In the day to day confrontation with sin, stop giving in. But yield (lit. “present yourselves”): Paul calls for a determined commitment.’
Ah Friends, we all know that the things of the world are bright and flashy and tend to attract and drive our sinful nature, but if we want to be true disciples of Jesus, we have to make a special effort to reject sin and all that it stands for. And our God is so wonderful and well organized that He sent His Holy Spirit to dwell in us to enable us to do it.
The problem though is that we have to listen to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, because He will not force His will on us. That means it’s up to us to get serious and buckle down to the bidding of the Holy Spirit, if we’re to be truly children of God. Let’s wake up to right thinking and right living nuh my people, for that is indeed wisdom at its zenith! Much LOVE!
…humans struggle with two natures…one that tends toward sin and the things of the world…and another that looks to righteousness and the things of God…the latter is by far the much better one to adopt…
29 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a voracious fire, Advocate of love, almighty god, Anselm, antidote, awesome truth, bloodguiltiness, body and soul, call to repentance, cease to do evil, cleanse, Cleanse your hands, cleansing of the heart, colourfast dye, consume you, defend the fatherless, demon, demonic plague, depths of hades, doubleminded, draw near to God, evil doings, fellowship, floor our hearts, flow like water, fool-fool, forgive, Friday chant, friends, fun, furthering God's glorious kingdom, generous help, glory hallelujah, God will draw near to you, gospel truth, grace, Hades, hate in your heart, heaven, heavenly Father, in Jesus' name, invitation, Jesus Christ, Jesus returns, joy, let God deal with them, LOVE, love always conquers hate, LOVE is of God, LOVE of God, Lucifer, make you clean, might be too late tomorrow, no more slaving, no way Jose, omnipotent, peace, plead for the widow, prince of peace, purify your hearts, rages, reason together, reasonable, red like crimson, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, rest, ritual washing, scarlet worm, seek justice, sin be as scarlet, sinners, TGIF! Thank God is Friday, the devil's own tool, the life- changing grace of God, time to party, true repentance, wash you, week of work, when it rains it pours, white as snow, wisdom, without warning, wool
James 4:8. Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded.
Well Friends, it’s Friday once again, a glorious sun shiny day!
And it’s obvious that the working population is going to sing out with joy: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday oui! No more slaving for massa for two big whole days! Wow! Glory Hallelujah! It’s time to party now! Thank God it’s Friday and the drinks going to flow like water!’
Oh my people, that might not be the best sentiment to express on behalf of Friday, but it is the gospel truth! I remember growing up in Tobago; on a Friday evening the capital of Scarborough would be the busiest ever; especially if it was payday, all the rum shops would be doing a thriving business. That would be their best day of the week.
And I believe some, and possibly a lot of that heritage still lingers on in the minds and actions of the workingman. But we all know that that’s not the best way to spend our Friday evenings. And to help us make some better decisions, let’s chant our Friday Chant with much seriousness of purpose.
As one now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yeh Friends, we ought to use the weekend for refreshing ourselves so that we can continue God’s work next week with vim and vigour, not in a hung over haze.
Now here is an interesting word from my buddy Anselm, as always, trying to inspire us to a better tomorrow. ‘Throughout life, people will make you mad, disrespect you and treat you bad. Let God deal with the things they do, cause hate in your heart will consume you too.’
Oh my people, my people, that is the absolute truth! There’s nothing that can consume you like hate! It just rages in you like a voracious fire, consuming whatever it comes into contact with, causing problems in every area of your life, as well as the lives of those with whom you come into contact.
Yes Friends, hate is the devil’s own tool, one we don’t want inside of us at all, at all, at all! But to successfully conquer that demonic plague, there’s only one avenue open to us; that’s turning to the Prince of Peace and Advocate of LOVE, Jesus Christ.
And how do we do that? Our Bit it spells it out quite clearly. ‘Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded.’
Yes my brethren, that’s the best known antidote for hate available to mankind! Glory to God!
Please remember that true LOVE will ALWAYS conquer hate, because LOVE is of God, the Creator and Controller of this universe, and no little fool-fool demon like Lucifer can ever conquer the likes of Almighty God!
That’s why he dwells in the depths of Hades and the Lord in the wonder of Heaven. He was kicked out of heaven for his hateful behaviour, so how can he ever be mightier than our omnipotent heavenly Father eh? No way Jose!
Now let’s check up on some scripture that deals with our Bit. Hear Isaiah deliver the message in his call to repentance. ‘Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; Learn to do well; seek judgement (justice), relieve (reprove) the oppressed (oppressor), judge (vindicate, defend) the fatherless, plead for the widow.
Come now and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.’ (Is.1:16-18)
Oh Friends, oh Friends, what a beautiful invitation to meet and talk with the Lord of the universe!
And the scholars offer these important observations. ‘1:16-17. Wash does not indicate that the sinner may cleanse himself. Nor does it refer to mere ritual washing. Rather, it indicates that the sinner must accept the cleansing offered by the Lord, a cleansing of the heart resulting in true repentance.’ What an awesome truth that my people!
‘1:18-20. The prophet’s appeal to come and reason together reveals God’s gracious invitation to all men. It literally means to be “reasonable” by repenting and turning to God. Their sin is described as scarlet and red like crimson, referring to their bloodguiltiness before God. The term crimson also means “worm,” referring to the colourfast dye of the scarlet worm.
The eradication of this stain turns it snowy white and is symbolic of the life-changing grace of God, which delivers men from the guilt and condemnation of sin. Thus the prophet reminds his readers that God stands ready to cleanse and forgive all who will turn to Him.’
Oh my brethren, that is the same message I’m imparting to us today: God is ready, willing and able to cleanse and forgive all who turn to Him in sincere repentance! So please don’t let this opportunity pass you by, because it just might be too late tomorrow, or some other time when Jesus returns without warning.
And on that vital and vibrant note, we’ll end today. Please ponder, seriously consider all that we’ve said, and then let the true LOVE of God flood our hearts with peace, wisdom, joy and LOVE! That’s the best, and only true prescription for wonderful living! Much LOVE!
…cleansing our hearts and souls through repentance….brings such an awesome revelation…that only fools won’t do it…
P.S. Oh Friends, please excuse the lateness of the Bit, but like the late nights and early mornings are finally getting to me. (smile) I got up this morning, thought the clock said 7.30, but it was really 8.30. Hn, Hn! Just remember though that the ole fella is only human and thus liable to err. (smile) Much LOVE!
P.S.S. When it rains, it certainly pours yes! would you believe that just as I was about to send the Bit, the so and so computer froze on me. Chuh blast! But I won’t let Lucifer spoil my day. (smile) Much LOVE!
26 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a healthy chance, a mirror image, a serious note, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land, arrogance, arrogant, ask for the old paths, backsliding, Beelzebub, blind leading the blind, break free, calmitous, catastrophic, Christians, commune with nature, crapaud smoke we pipe, dancing madly, deceit, destruction, dilgent, dream, drought, evil monster, flooding, friends, Friends in Christ, godless, harness our limited power, hot and humid, human errors, idolatry, in the throes of death, Jeremiah, Jesus, LOVE, Memorial Day, mind-blowing, my neck of the woods, my people which are called by my name, natural disasters, Oklahoma, our own counsel, path of destruction, persevering, pray, pride, promise, prosperity, proud, rampaging, raod to disadter, refuse to try somethig different, removing God from society, repent, rest for your souls, return to God, righteousness., seek my face, shall humble themselves, short mind spans, sincere, sinfulness, Southern California, stand ye in the ways, stranglehold, success, Texas, the annals of history, the awesome might of Jesus, the good way, the Love Revolution, the universe is unfolding as it should, the wages of sin is death, the way of the ungodly, the wisdom of a fool, then will I hear from heaven, tight grip, torrential rains, trying times, turn away from their wicked ways, walk therein, wickedness
2 Chronicles 7:14. If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Oh my beautiful Friends in Christ, called by His holy name – Christians, welcome to another glorious day in the annals of history! (smile) The universe is unfolding as it should.
It’s going to be hot and humid today in my neck of the woods; something like 30 C. but the wind is not going to be rampaging like it was yesterday. Boy, was I ever sorry for those trees yesterday, for the wind had them dancing madly all day long, even into the night.
And hear this nuh; about 1:15 this morning I went outside to sit on my porch and commune some with nature, but less than ten minutes later, I had to come back in because the wind was strong and cool and I only had on shorts and a T-shirt. Hn, Hn!
But on a more serious note my brethren, what a way our world is disaster prone these days. It wasn’t a very happy Memorial Day for some of our Friends down in the Southern U.S. states, especially Texas and Oklahoma, where torrential rains caused immense flooding and damage. Meanwhile in poor Southern California, a long and fierce drought is doing serious damage of another kind.
Ah Lord eh! I don’t know what to say nuh my people, except that we should seriously consider applying the promise contained in the words of our Bit, for we obviously can’t stop the disasters that are occurring ever more often in these most difficult and trying times.
‘If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.’
But yuh know what, mankind has become so proud and arrogant and godless nowadays that even though we see what’s happening, the calamitous natural disasters and catastrophic human errors, we refuse to try something different.
But as I keep reminding us, that is the wisdom of a fool! Even the Israelites, when they hit a bad spell after a season of idolatry, were smart enough to repent and return to God, and He did as promised; healed their land and returned it to prosperity.
But this foolish and wicked generation, even in the throes of death, refuses to even consider that option, much less adopt it. They’re still more intent than ever in removing God from our midst.
Chuh! Beelzebub certainly has us in grip, in fact in a tight, stranglehold my people! It’s a stranglehold from which we desperately need to break free, if we ever expect to return our countries, our world, from the path of total destruction on which we’re currently headed.
To accomplish that most worthwhile dream though, will take oodles of diligent, sincere and persevering work from us, the comparatively small band of people called by Christ’s name. But it is definitely possible when we harness our limited power to the awesome might of Jesus.
Oh my brethren, please, I implore us today, RIGHT NOW, to begin working seriously on the LOVE Revolution that’s necessary to save our world and give our children, our descendants, a healthy chance of success in the upcoming years.
For without that turn around to a godly world, Friends, we don’t stand a chance of success, as much chance of success as a snowball in hell! And that’s the living and factual reality of the situation, because our God doesn’t make idle promises, and He says that the wages of sin is certain death. So nuff said on that subject.
Now let’s continue looking at some scriptures which highlight the last of the four parts of our Bit that’s necessary for the Lord to hear our pleas, forgive our sin and heal our land, that’s ‘and turn away from their wicked ways.’
Oh my people, the wickedness of this current world is so rampant, widespread and incisive that it’s mind-blowing! I don’t think our world has ever been this wicked, and it’s been helped by all the advancements we’ve made in terms of modern living. More knowledge and power and greater material wealth have led to even greater sinfulness.
The Lord must certainly be shaking His head in disgust, thinking and sadly muttering, ‘what an evil monster I have created eh!’ Listen up to these scriptures Friends.
Jeremiah proclaims: ‘Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.’ (Jer.6:16) What pride and arrogance my people!
And the scholars have this to say about that verse. ‘6:16. The people’s stubborn refusal to walk in the traditional ways of true righteousness is often mentioned by Jeremiah (12:16; 18:15; 23:12; 31:21)
Moving in their own paths and following their own way could only lead to Judah’s destruction (cf. Prov.14:12). The contrast of the way of righteousness and life with the way of the ungodly and death is often made in the Scriptures (e.g.Ps.1; Matt.7:13-14).’
Oh Friends, that is exactly what we are doing today; walking in our paths, to the tune of our own counsel, so what can we expect but destruction eh?
Now hear Jeremiah again, as he mourns the desperate state of the Jews. ‘Moreover thou shalt say unto them, Thus saith the Lord; Shall they fall, and not arise? shall he turn away, and not return? Why then is this people of Jerusalem slidden back by a perpetual backsliding?
They hold fast (to) deceit, and they refuse to return. I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright: no man repented of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? Everyone turned to his (own) course, as the horse rusheth into the battle.’ (Jer.8:4-6)
Oh my people, there again Jeremiah is painting a mirror image of our society today! How sad it is eh. Steups! But we’ll stop there for now. I was trying to get it all in today, but it would just be too too long, and I’m having respect for our short mind spans. (smile)
Anyway my people, please, please, let’s wake up and see the destructive actions that are taking place in our world nuh, which are carrying us steadily and ever quicker down the pathway to eventual destruction. For our children’s sake, let’s do something concrete and positive about it nuh, and quickly too, else crapaud will surely smoke we pipe! Much LOVE!
…there’s no surer road to disaster…than the blind and foolish…leading the blind and foolish…away from Jesus…
25 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a fool's wisdom, a mirror image, abundantly pardon, arrogance, brimstone and fire, celebrate, confidence, deceiver, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, enemies, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, for free, forgive their sin, forgiveness, friends, glorious kingdom, God is faithful, gospel truth, gracious, heal their land, holy spirit, humble servants, I am the way, invitation, Jeremiah, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, lies, like pulling teeth, long-suffering, LOVE, Lucifer, Memorial Day, merciful God, mercy, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, my people which are called by my name, no man comes to the Father but by me, Noah, Oh Lord God Almighty, patient, plenty rope, pray, pride, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, repentance, rest, righteousness., sacrifice, salvation, save his soul, seek my face, seek ye the Lord, serve a useful purpose, shall humble themselves, spiritual armour, spunk, steadfast faith, taunts, the earth was corrupt, the Great Flood, the table's turned, then will I hear from heaven, transgressions, truth, turn away from their wicked ways, turnabout is fair play, ungodly world, victory, violence, when a man's ways please the Lord, wicked nature, wiles, wisdom, worship our Creator
2 Chronicles 7:14. If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Come on people, it’s Monday; time to rise and shine and get with the programme!
But some of our Friends in the U.S. laugh and declare: ‘Not today my brother! Today is our Memorial Day holiday, and that means no work today, period! Just like you had your Victoria Day holiday last weekend and laughed at us lowly plebs who had to go to work down here, well the table’s turned now.
It’s time for us to celebrate while you go out and labour. As they say, turnabout is fair play, or something to that effect. Hn, hn! But we do wish you the best in all your labouring today. (smile)
Yes Friends, our U.S. brethren are putting it to us today. But we can handle it. So to show that there are no hard feelings, and to help all those who have to go out and labour, let’s sing our Monday Morning Battle hymn with spunk and powerful, positive thoughts of victory.
All together now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Now that was spunky enough, but obviously the loudest voices were those of our U.S. brethren. They could afford to sing loud and lustily because they have a whole day of celebration in front of them. But as I said last week, let’s remember to keep Granny’s advice front and centre in our hearts and minds; ‘drunk or sober, mind yuh business.’ For the ole deceiver, Lucifer is out there just prowling for anyone he can latch on to. And we certainly don’t want that to be any of us.
Now let’s turn to our oh so important Bit, one that can make the difference between eternal live in heaven, or everlasting death and damnation in Hades. ‘If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.’
Oh Friends, what a wonderful invitation from a gracious and merciful God! But from day one, our wicked nature, pride and arrogance seems to have been our downfall, as we’ll see when we deal with the last of the four things we need to do for God to hear from heaven and forgive our sin and heal our land, which we desperately need.
Way back when, in the time of Noah, the Bible declares: ‘The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way on earth.’ (Gen.6:11-12)
Ah mih people, it was just a mirror image of today’s world! And what did God do? He caused the great flood and destroyed all the inhabitants, beside Noah and his family. Now doesn’t that say something to us; that it’s possible for Him to wipe out everybody again? Obviously we don’t seem to think so. But remember our God is a faithful God, who keeps His promises, and He promised that the next time would be with brimstone and fire, not water.
Meanwhile Cousin Sol says in Proverbs: ‘When a man’s ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.’ (Prov.16:7)
Oh Friends, that ought to have us just crawling over each other to make our ways please the Lord. But that’s certainly not happening. In these supposedly modern times, it’s like pulling teeth to get people to truly worship our Creator. But our God is so patient and long-suffering that He gives us plenty of rope, hoping against hope that we will not hang ourselves.
Hear His free offer of mercy to all, through the prophet Isaiah. ‘Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.’ (Is.55:6-7)
And again in Jeremiah, the Lord offers mercy and forgiveness for repentance. ‘Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive (preserve himself). Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.’ (Ezek. 18:27-28)
Ah mih breddren, what else do we want the Lord to do eh? How often must He offer the same thing and we refuse His wonderful offer? All down through the ages He’s offered us forgiveness for repentance, but we’re too stubborn and proud to accept it. He even gave us His Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ as a sacrifice for our sins, and yet we still don’t think it wise to be obedient to His dictates. That’s a fool’s wisdom my Friends.
Anyway people, we’re running out of space and time, so we’ll continue this dialogue tomorrow, the Lord in favour. In the meanwhile, let’s end with these words of absolute truth from Jesus, which says it all. ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me.’ (John 14:6)
Now my wise Friends, (smile) let’s go and ponder that statement, and with Jesus’ help, bring our lives into line with it, for that is the wisdom of all wisdom. Much LOVE!
…evil and sin should never be so rampant in our world…when genuine forgiveness, mercy and salvation… are so readily available…for free to boot…
22 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a perfect heart, a prowling lion, abominations, Achilles heel, Beelzebub, Bruh David, cast thee off for ever, celebration, Christ-like life, Christians, Cousin Sol, destroy, distress, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, fellowship, fleshly lusts, forgive their sin, forsake, Friday, Friday chant, friends, fun, glorious kingdom, Granny's advice, greedy, heal their land, heathen, hellfire, I will hear from heaven, idolatry, imaginations, in Jesus' name, Israelites, Jesus Christ, joy, lose sight of our purpose, LOVE, Lucifer, Memorial Day, Memorial Day weekend, merciful, mire of sin, Moses, my people which are called by my name, negative, practice what you preach, pray, refreshed in soul body and mind, relaxation, rest, seek my face, seek the Lord thy God, shall humble themselves, spread the gospel, step up our efforts, sware unto thy fathers, the Lord searcheth all hearts, the weekend, times of celebration, tribulation, turn away from their wicked ways, turn to the Lord thy God, warlike, willing mind, win souls for Christ, words of wisdom
2 Chronicles 7:14. If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Well a fine Friday morning to you my brethren, my fellow believers in Christ! And the workers declare: ‘It is indeed a fine Friday! The weekend is here! Thank God for that yes! We going to wail down the place!’
And the ones shouting the loudest are those in the U.S. where they celebrate their Memorial Day weekend with joyous gatherings and memorials for those fallen in combat and struggle over the years. But as we keep reminding Friends, don’t leave home without Granny’s advice: ‘drunk or sober, please mind yuh business.’
Yes my people, especially in these times of great celebration, it’s very easy to lose sight of our purpose and get involved in things we shouldn’t, and thus give Lucifer an opening to our soul. Remember he’s always prowling around like a hungry lion, just waiting to pounce on someone who’s gone even slightly astray. (1 Pet. 5:8)
Please let that not be us this Memorial Day weekend. And as always, to help us stay on the right track, let’s chant our Friday Chant with sincerity and purpose. As one now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through.
Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yeh Friends, let’s not forget our earthly purpose; that of spreading the gospel of Jesus to all and sundry, to the entire earth. And it’s indeed a most worthy purpose, though I don’t believe we are doing it as seriously and diligently as we ought to.
Our world is definitely too negative and warlike, and greedy and full of fleshly lusts and abominations for us to be doing a great job. If we were, our world would never be as disgusting and ungodly. But that’s where our Bit comes in.
‘If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.’
What a great joy that would be my people! But unfortunately it doesn’t seem as though it’s going to happen anytime soon, for sadly we appear to be losing more people to Beelzebub than we’re bringing to Christ. That means we obviously have to step up our efforts to win souls for Christ.
And we can’t do that unless we are living a Christ-like life, which will draw unbelievers to Jesus. Right now, too many supposed Christians are living too much of a worldly life, not practicing what we preach, thus the heathen are not paying any attention to us. And that my Friends, will continue to be our Achilles heel until we come to terms with our Bit.
Anyway, let’s continue disecting our Bit, finding scriptures that pertain to each of the four things we need to do for God to hear from heaven, forgive our sin and heal our land. And oh Friends, does our land ever need healing, in a bad, bad way! Today we’ll deal with ‘and seek my face.’
Oh my people, there are so many instances of that admonition in the Bible that I spent the last half an hour researching them. Conseqeuntly we can only get in a few in the time and space allotted. And we’ll start with Moses warning the Israelites about being taken in the throes of idolatry.
‘But if from then thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul. When thou art in tribulation (distress), and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto thy voice;
(For the Lord thy God is a merciful God;) he will not forsake thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he sware unto them.’ (Deut.4:29-31)
Now Friends, that is exactly the position in which we find ourselves today; our world is in a serious time of tribulation and distress. But are we turning to God, to our merciful God to help right it? Not really. We seem to be more intent on following Beelzebub further down into the mire of sin and hellfire.
Then we have these beautful words of wisdom from Bruh David to Cousin Sol, re building God’s temple. ‘And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.’ (1 Chr.28:9)
And the scholars have an interesting take on the verse. ‘Although David’s charge to Solomon was directed primarily at his son, his point was doubtless not lost on the assembled congregation (cf. 29:9).’
That’s where the people rejoiced as they gave willingly, with a loyal heart, to the building of the temple. So Friends, I hope that Bruh David’s words will also resonate amongst us, so that we can seek God and give willingly to His cause.
And we’ll end with this famous discourse by Jeremiah. “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity) to give you an expected end (a future and a hope). Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer.29:11-13)
Ah mih people, what more do we need to make us turn back to the God of our fathers eh? Do we need our world to be actually going up in smoke, when we’re on our last breath, before we run to Him for help, as so many of us do these days?
That’s not true wisdom Friends. We have the opportunity and the faithful promise of a wonderful Deity, so please, let’s take in front, before in front takes us nuh. Much LOVE!
…fools wait until the very last minute to seek succour…but as followers of Jesus…we should not embrace foolish ways…
21 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a better tomorrow, a man of understanding, almighty god, an attitude of prayer, Anselm, at noon, awesome truth, be vigilant in prayer, Bruh David, Bruh Paul, calamity, called by Christ's name, change of behaviour, children of Almighty God, Christian faith, come to terms with, common sense, crucifixion, cry aloud, dare to believe, dare to comfort, dare to dream, dare to hope, decisive, devotion, divine aid, eliminate God, evening, faith, filled with anger, filled with despair, filled with distrust, filled with hate, forgive their sin, friends, glory to God, groanings, he shall hear my voice, He will never leave nor forsake us, heal their land, Higher Power, humble themselves, I will call upon god, I will hear from heaven, I will look up, indecisive, indispensable, infirmities, Jesus, Jesus Christ, keeps us on an even keel, lasting improvement, lifting up holy hands, lose heart, made it a habit to pray, man's survival, men ought always to pray, morning, my people which are called by my name, not faint, perseverance, positive, pray, pray everywhere, pray without ceasing, prayer, praying, praying always, presence of sin, promises of Jesus, return to God's fold, seek my face, spiritual armour, spiritual combat, supplication, tempted to give up, the Comforter, the evil one, the Garden of Gethsemane, the greatest force in this world, the Holy One of Israel, the Holy Spirit, the Lord's prayer, the Son of God, the Spirit makes intercession, thou shalt hear my voice in the morning, trust, turn away from their wicked ways, unfaltering faith, when it's not one thing it's another, will I pray, wisdom, wish-washy, without wrath and doubting
2 Chronicles 7:14. If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Well Friends, a good Thursday morning to you! And it does look bright and sunny outside, but it is still a little chilly, chillier than usual at this time of year. The weather certainly doesn’t seem to know what it wants to do. We’ll have some bright and warm days, then some bright, chilly and windy ones.
But thankfully as children of Almighty God and believers in Jesus Christ we don’t have to be so indecisive, for our faith keeps us on an even keel. Glory to God!
That doesn’t mean that some of us still aren’t wishy-washy and indecisive, too many too, but overall we are generally a decisive group. And we should be, since Jesus our Leader is a positive and decisive person.
Now here is an interesting message from my friend Anselm, who aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. (smile) He says: ‘In a world filled with hate, we must still dare to hope. In a world filled with anger, we must still dare to comfort. In a world filled with despair, we must still dare to dream. And in a world filled with distrust, we must still dare to believe.’
And isn’t all of that awesome truth Friends? It sure is! Our world’s a mess, but that doesn’t mean we have to give up on it or ourselves, for we have the certain sure promises of Jesus that He will never leave nor forsake us, and in any matter we bring before Him He will hear and help us. And that’s the basics of our Christian faith; a Higher Power to place our undivided trust in.
But as we’ve been talking about in our Bit, the last couple decades or so, we’ve been come up much too short in our trust and devotion to Almighty God, and we desperately need a change of behaviour to make matters right with Him. That means a change in the way our hearts, minds and souls operate.
We seriously need to come to terms with the advice of our Bit. ‘If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.’
Ah mih people, it’s about time we sincerely and seriously begin to put that heavenly wisdom into our individual lives and our society in general, instead of unwisely and foolishly trying to eliminate Jehovah God from both places.
We can see from the disastrous state of our world that removing God from our world doesn’t work; it’s a certain platform for calamity.
So please, let’s refrain from following the evil one, his many minions, and their evil ways, and being a group of people called by Christ’s name, humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, and turn away from our wicked ways, so that He can hear from heaven, forgive our sins, and heal our land, which so badly needs healing.
That is the only way our world, and subsequently our individual lives will really have lasting improvement.
And we’ll continue looking at scriptures that highlight the things we need to do to successfully return to God’s fold. Today’s word is simply ‘PRAY.’ But Friends, though it sounds simple, ‘pray, prayer and praying’ however you term it, is the greatest force in this world! It’s found as being essential to man’s survival throughout the entire Bible.
And prayer and praying are so important in the Christian’s life that Jesus once told a parable ‘to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not faint (lose heart).’ (Luke 18:1) So when we’re tempted to give up, that’s when we most need to be strong and pray.
Earlier on too, the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, and He taught them what is now universally known as ‘The Lord’s Prayer.’ Then in John, we see Jesus offering to pray to the Father for the disciples, for the Holy Spirit, the Comforter to dwell within them forever. (Jon 14:16)
And even more importantly my brethren, Jesus made it a habit to pray Himself to His heavenly Father, rising up early and going out to a quiet place to pray. (Mark 1:35) We also see Him praying diligently in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before His crucifixion. (Matt.26:36-46)
So Friends, if Jesus, the Son of God, found it necessary to pray to the Holy One of Israel, how and why, shouldn’t we mere mortals do the same eh?
Then you have great men of faith like Bruh David solemnly declaring: ‘My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.’ (Ps.5:3)
And also in Psalm 55 – a cry against deceitful friends – he steadfastly proclaims: ‘As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice.’ (Ps.55:16-17) What unfaltering faith my people!
Then Bruh Paul tells the Romans. ‘Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities (weaknesses): for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.’ (Rom.8:26)
The scholars explain that thus: ‘8:26. Our infirmities may refer to the presence of sin (cf. 7:14). Groanings: The Spirit also groans along with creation and the believer. The reference is to the Spirit’s interpretation of the believer’s uttermost feelings which cannot be put into words.’
Then to the Ephesians, Bruh Paul says: ‘Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.’ (Eph.6:18) This is all linked to the putting on of God’s protective spiritual armour. (vs.10-17)
And as the scholar’s say: ‘6:18. Without prayer, God’s armour is inadequate to achieve victory. Prayer is indispensable. Always means ‘on every occasion,” that is, when Satan attacks. In the Spirit signifies that with the Spirit’s help such prayer for divine aid is to be made.
Watching thereunto means “being vigilant in this very matter” of prayer. They are to pray not just for themselves, but also for all saints; spiritual combat is both an individual and corporate matter.’
And to Timothy, Bruh Paul declares: ‘I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.’ (1 Tim.2:8) Yes Friends, men are to pray everywhere, regardless of where they are, with a pure life, no anger and disputes.
And finally, to the Thessalonians, Bruh Paul simply advises: ‘Pray without ceasing.’ (1 Thess.5:17) Yes my people, we ought to always have an attitude of prayer, even though we’re not praying audibly.’
And that Friends, is wisdom, common sense and understanding at their highest levels. Please, let’s try and attain to those levels nuh, for it will do us the world of good. Much LOVE!
…prayer is the life force which keeps this world still humming along…though it’s in such a sad state…
P.S. Friends, it’s long and late, but that’s just the way it worked out. Then just as I was about to send it, my trusty computer froze on me, so I had to reboot it. And now the technician is here to fix my alarm system which the phone company screwed up! Ah Lord, when is not one thing is certainly another. But it’s all good in the end. (smile) Much LOVE!
20 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a decision, a dream, a gift, a proud look, a sound mind, a tad on the chilly side, abomination to God, absence of fear, absolute truth, alive and kicking, all is right in God's world, all my fears are gone, arrogance, assurance, be filled with courage, be fruitful and multiply, bear our burdens, bet your bottom dollar, beyond yourself, Bless His Holy Name, Bruh Paul, calm, chutzpah, common sense, communing with nature, courage, Courage is not the absence of fear, deliverance, disastrous state of our world, do god's work, do it afraid, encouraging words, entrance to the Lord's presence, evil world, fear mongering, fears, forgive their sin, friends, going going gone, Gramps Schuller, halfway point of the week, haughty eyes, he shall lift you up, heal their land, Hour of Power Devotional, humble yourselves, humility, in the sight of the Lord, Jerusalem, Judah, king of Egypt, let us rejoice and be glad in it, life, LOVE, my people which are called by my name, mysterious, no looking or turning back, peace, perverse mouth, power, Praise the Lord, pray, presence of a calling, pride, prosperity, Rehoboam, Scrip-Bit land, seek my face, servants, shall humble themselves, Shemaiah, spirit of courage, straight ahead to the finish line, Thank You Lord, the core of my invisible soul, the evil way, the Holy Spirit, the Lord is righteous, the presence of God, the spirit of fear, the sun is shining, them's the breaks, then will I hear from heaven, this is the day the Lord has made, tranquil, turmoil, turn from their wicked ways, turning away from God, what a relief, wisdom, wonderful Wednesday morning, working peace, wrath, ye have forsaken me, zenith
2 Chronicles 7:14. If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Well a wonderful Wednesday morning to you readers out there in Scrip-Bit Land! It’s a tad on the chilly side today, as it was yesterday. Ah Lord eh! What is the weather coming to eh? We had a beautiful Victoria Day weekend, then yesterday it suddenly turned cold and windy.
As one Friend told me yesterday evening, ‘you were boasting in the Bit about sitting on your porch last night communing with nature. Let me see if you will do it tonight too.’ (smile)
And Friends, sad to say I didn’t. It was just too so and so cold. But them’s the breaks! And furthermore, the sun is shining, we are alive and kicking and all is right in God’s world! Bless His Holy Name. That’s why we can say, as the psalmist did eons ago: ‘This is the day the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps.118:24)
We might as well my brethren, because the only other alternative is to be sad and miserable, and God gave us the day to be fruitful and multiply, both in terms of children and in His work here on earth. Anyway, we’ve reached the halfway point of the workweek – rather quickly and easily I must say – (smile) so there’s no turning or looking back now, just straight ahead to the finish line.
And to help us do that, here’s something from Gramps Schuller (Robert H. Schuller) from his Hour of Power Devotional, on the subject of courage, which we can never get enough of. He claims that courage isn’t a gift, but a decision. And ‘Courage is not the absence of fear, it is the presence of a calling – a dream that pulls you beyond yourself. Hence it is something you can never lose. It is always something that you can choose. So, choose it today!’
And then, in a little poem, he declares: ‘I have it! My fears are going, going, gone! I feel a mysterious, calm, quiet, tranquil assurance rising deep within my being. This remarkable spirit of courage is overpowering me. It is the very presence of God working peace at the core of my invisible soul. Thank You Lord. All my fears are gone. What a relief! Amen.’
Yes my people, courage, like all other good things, comes from Almighty God! It is He who gives us the wherewithal to bear our burdens with chutzpah, and not give up to the fear the enemy tries to instill in us. So please, today, let’s be filled with courage, as we endeavour to do God’s work and be fruitful.
And we will need plenty of courage if we are to fulfill the words of our Bit, especially with the power of the unbeliever in today’s world, and his determined purpose to remove all aspects of God from our society. ‘If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.’
Ah mih breddren, what a most worthy promise! One that should allay all our fears. But even if we’re still fearful, we can do like Sister Joyce (Joyce Meyer) likes to say: ‘Do it afraid.’ We just can’t afford to let fear hold us back in these very difficult and trying times.
And we can punctuate that with these encouraging and uplifting words of Bruh Paul to Timothy. ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound mind.’ (2 Tim.1:7) And that’s the absolute truth Friends, so please let’s not give into the fear mongering of this evil world, for the power that’s within us, the Holy Spirit, is greater than that which is in the world.
And all of God’s people gave out a loud shout of, ‘Praise the Lord! Amen.’
Now let’s turn to some scripture that pertains to the first of the four things in our Bit, that we need to do to turn back to God, so that He can heal us and our land. That’s ‘humble themselves.’
Oh Friends, one of the things our God thoroughly dislikes is pride. As Cousin Sol says in Proverbs 8: ‘The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the forward (perverse) mouth do I hate.’ (Prov.8:13) And in Proverbs 1.17, he mentions ‘a proud look (haughty eyes)’ as one of the seven things that are an abomination to our God.
So Friends, it’s obvious that we can’t come before our heavenly father in pride and arrogance, for He will just ignore us, possibly just have us thrown out from His presence. (smile) Now hear how He rewards humility.
Way back when, in the days of the apostasy of Rehoboam, king of Judah, Shishak, the king of Egypt, came to fight against Jerusalem with a mighty army. And he captured several cities of Judah before he came to Jerusalem.
‘Then came Shemaiah the prophet to Rehoboam, and to the princes of Judah, that were gathered together at Jerusalem because of Shishak, and said unto them, Thus saith the Lord, Ye have forsaken me, and therefore I also left you in the hand of Shishak. Whereupon the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves; and they said, The Lord is righteous.
And when the Lord saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah, saying, They have humbled themselves; therefore I will not destroy them, but will grant them some deliverance; and my wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak. Nevertheless, they shall be his servants; that they may know my service (distinguish my service from) the service of the kingdoms of the countries.’ (2 Chr.12:5-8)
Yuh see Friends, even though God provided them with some relief for their humility, they still had to pay a price for their earlier pride and arrogance. And I wonder why our world is in so much turmoil eh? Could it be partly because of our pride and arrogance and turning away from the ways of God?
You can bet your bottom dollar that our intransigence plays a big part in the disastrous state of our world my people!
And we shall close with one of the most notable scriptures on the subject. This from James: ‘Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.’ (James 4:10)
Oh my people, my people, there is no better advice to be had than that! So please, let’s just grab it and run with it nuh, so that our world, our children, will stand a much better chance of life and prosperity than we now do. That’s wisdom and common sense at the zenith! Much LOVE!
…humility…it is the first…and most important requirement…for gaining entrance to the Lord’s presence…
19 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a beacon, a feeling of peace, a relationship with Christ, almighty god, Anselm, background noise, behave godly, bounden duty, called by God's name, celebration, Christ-lie, Christians, come up higher, communing with nature, desires, disastrous state of our world, downfalls, duty, eternal life, evil, evil cohorts, fear not, forgive their sin, free gift of grace, friends, gentle breezes, give men for thee, God's chosen people, God's people, gospel truth, grace, guide others to Christ, heal their land, honoured, humble themselves, I am the Lord thy God, I will be with thee, individual hurts, ingrained in our nature, insincere pleas, Inspire us for a better tomorrow, irresponsibly, Isaiah's declaration, Israelites, Jesus Christ, light of the world, LOVE, low over me, Lucifer, mesh with God's will, more beautiful than silence, Moses, motives, my neck of the woods, negative actions, negativity, night insects, peace, people for thy life, people which are called by my name, ponder, pray, precious in my sight, Queen Victoria, quick communication, quiet of the morning, ransom, refresh our memories, rejuvenating the spirits, responsibility, responsible society, right conclusion, rocket science, rustle the leaves of the trees, sacrificing, salt of the earth, salvation, scans our hearts, seek God, seek my face, silence is golden, silence., sinful nature, sing songs of praise, social media, sounds of the highway, spread Christ's gospel, strife, talking nonsense, the blessings of obedience, the children of Israel, the flame scorch thee, the heathen, the Holy One of Israel, the lust of the flesh, the only redeemer, the rivers shall not overflow thee, the things of the world, the unbeliever, think before we talk, thou shalt not be burned, trillion dollar question, turn away from their wicked ways, turn back to God, ungodly society, when thou passest through the waters, when thou walkest through the fire, will I hear from heaven
2 Chronicles 7:14. If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Aye Friends, please blame the lateness of this Tuesday morning Bit at the feet of Queen Victoria, as I was up till late last night, early this morning, celebrating her day. (smile) But not to worry, it was celebration of the good kind.
And then, before I went to bed, I obviously had to spend some time sitting out on my front porch enjoying the peace and quiet of the morning, communing with nature and my most wonderful God.
Oh my people, you wouldn’t understand how peaceful and quiet it is in my neck of the woods at that time! I sit out there and just let the gentle breezes blow over me, as they rustle the leaves of the trees, and the night insects sing their songs of praise to their Creator, with the sounds of the highway acting as background noise in the distance.
Such a feeling of peace washes over me, that this morning I had to force myself to get up and go to bed, the atmosphere was so amenable to sitting out there for much longer. (smile)
Ah Friends, what’s the point of God giving us these natural amenities for rejuvenating our spirits, if we don’t make use of them eh? None whatsoever!
Anyway, here’s an interesting piece of advice from my Friend Anselm, as he attempts to inspire us for a better tomorrow. He says: ‘Open your mouth only if what you are going to say is more beautiful than silence.’
What a wonderful bit of advice that is my brethren! It brings to mind the saying that ‘silence is golden.’ And it surely is, especially when what we’re planning to say is just going to provoke strife and negativity.
Oh, the many negative actions we can avoid if we’ll only think before we talk! But that seems to be one of our big downfalls, especially in this age of quick communication and social media.
Instead of cutting back on our talking, we seem to be talking even more than usual, and consequently talking more nonsense than usual too. The amount of confusion this social media is causing it’s not funny, yet we still insist on using it irresponsibly.
Ah mih people, until we put the words of our Bit into serious action, we’ll never become a responsible society. ‘If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.’
As we said yesterday, there are four areas we need to deal with if we are called by God’s name, and we are, as Christians. The first is to humble ourselves before Almighty God, then pray to Him, sincerely seeking His face, while turning away from our evil ways.
Oh Friends, it’s right there in black and white! And it’s not rocket science either. But the evil is so ingrained in our nature, and the lust of the flesh and our LOVE for the things of the world are so great that we don’t seem to want to turn back to God, or we find it difficult to do so.
But Friends, please be assured of one thing; if we truly want to seek God, we’ll find Him, because the Lord will certainly enable us to do it. The problem is that when He scans our hearts, He discovers that our motives and desires are wrong, they do not mesh with His will and desire, so He ignores our insincere pleas.
Now I had planned to share some scriptures that deal with the four areas in which we need to come up higher, so that God can hear us and heal our individual hurts, as well as our ungodly society. But before we can do that, we need to refresh our memories that we are indeed God’s people, called by His name.
Yesterday we saw one example of that through Moses laying out the blessings of obedience to the Israelites. Now listen to Isaiah’s declaration to the children of Israel, as he details to them the gospel truth that God is the only redeemer of mankind.
‘But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel. Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.
When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon (scorch) thee.
For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Sheba for thee (in thy place). Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable (honoured), and I have LOVED thee: therefore will I give men for thee, and people for thy life.’ (Is.43:1-4)
Yes my brethren, the bunch of modern day people called Christians, belong to the Lord! We are called by His name, He has saved and redeemed us through the sacrificing of His Son Jesus Christ!
That means we have a responsibility, a serious duty to behave and act according to His desires and commands. But obviously we’re not doing that on a wide or strong enough scale, which results in our even more sinful nature and the disastrous state of our world.
Ah Friends, we are God’s chosen people, let’s behave like it nuh, and not like Lucifer’s evil cohorts. Our bounden duty is to behave godly, and spread Christ’s gospel, so that the heathen, the unbeliever, will have a chance to turn to God, to accept His free gift of grace that leads to salvation and eternal life.
Now, if we, God’s people, called by His name, don’t do it, then please tell me who will eh?
And we’ll end with that trillion dollar question. Friends, please, let’s seriously and sincerely ponder it today nuh, and with God’s help, come to the right conclusion. Much LOVE!
…Christians are meant to be Christ-like…the salt of the earth…and the light of the world…a beacon to guide others to a wonderful relationship with Christ…
18 May 2015
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: aura of love, christianity, Christians, commandments, confidence, conquerors, Cousin Sol, covenant, crapaud smoke we pipe, depravity, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, economic situation, enthusiasm, evil, evil deeds, evil powers, forgive thier sin, forgiveness, friends, glorious kingdom, glory, godly day, heal their land, hear from heaven, hope, humble servants, humble themselves, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, lies, lord god almighty, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Moses, my ears attentive, my eyes shall be open, O Lord God Almighty, people which are called by my name, plentiful in goods, power, pray, rejuvenation of spirit, renewed vitality, repentance, repentant people, seek my face, serve a useful purpose, sin, sinfulness, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, Thank God is Monday., the ball is in our court, the blessings of obedience, the breath of life, the fruit of our loins, the fruit of thy body, Top o' the morn, turn from their wicked ways, ungodly world, walk in God's ways, wicked aspirations, wisdom
2 Chronicles 7:14. If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
Top o’ this Monday morn to you my brethren! And I hear the negative comments from some, but also cries of glee: ‘Thank God is Monday, Victoria Monday holiday yes, and we don’t have to go out and labour today. Thank God for the holiday!’
Yes Friends, some of us are lucky to be off this lovely spring morning, so let’s be truly thankful for it, because many of our fellow workers are not so fortunate. They have to go out and labour regardless, so please let our prayers go with them, prayers that they will have a safe, productive and godly day. Now let’s reinforce that by singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn with them.
As one choir in Christ now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Now that wasn’t bad at all mih people, but I strongly suspect that the loudest voices were those who did not have to go to work. They could afford to be exuberant because they know that a whole day of partying and/ or simply lazing around is in the offing. But as usual friends, in these times of celebration, please remember Granny’s admonition: “Sonny boy, don’t forget, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business.’
Now Friends, that piece of advice is of the utmost priority in this evil and ungodly world that we’re currently living in. But unfortunately, as a body of people, as a society, we have already allowed the negative and wicked aspirations to gain control of the power and glory that lie within it.
However my people, there is still hope for us, as there always is, once we’re filled with the breath of life. And our Bit tells us exactly how we can turn this travesty around. Hear the words of our God in the covenant He made with Cousin Sol, after the temple was built.
‘If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn away from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.’
And the scholars explain: ‘7:14-15. While this promise was originally given to Solomon regarding the people of Israel, it is certainly applicable to all who will call on the Lord in repentance and faith. These verses stand as a high expression of God’s LOVING readiness to hear the prayers of a repentant people (cf. 6:37-39; James 4-8-10)’
And the Lord continues after our Bit: ‘Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent (attentive) unto the prayer that is made in this place. For now I have chosen and sanctified (set apart) this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes (my attention) and mine heart (my concern) shall be there perpetually.’ (2 Chr.7:15-16)
Yuh see Friends, how our good and wonderful God has made provision for us even in our times of depravity and sinfulness! He knew what a frail and feeble creation we were, and would no doubt stray from His fold, so He made provision, right from the beginning, for us to return. What a magnificent and magnanimous Deity He is!
So yuh know what? We have no excuses for not getting back into His favour. But to do that my brethren, as our Bit says, there are four things we need to put into serious action. We need to humble ourselves, pray, seek His face, and turn away from our wicked ways. Yes Friends, those four requirements are absolutely necessary for us to get back into God’s good graces, first as individuals, then as a society, as a people.
But unfortunately we are not seeing that reaction as strongly as we need to. It seems that as some individuals turn to God, a fairly similar amount turn away from Him, and since the evil powers rule the land, we’re definitely not seeing the repentance and other requirements being implemented as a society. In fact we’re losing more of the God- based institutions and rights every day.
So Friends, we have no one to blame but ourselves for the disastrous and ridiculous state of our current society. The ball is now in our court, for the Lord has already done his part by making provision for us to come back to Him – if we so desire. I don’t think we have much choice though my people, because we are called by the Lord’s name; Christians. That means we have to repent and turn back to Him, otherwise, in all seriousness, crapaud smoke we pipe!
Let’s remember the words of Moses, re the blessings of obedience. ‘The Lord shall establish thee a holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk in his ways. And all the people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee.
And the Lord shall make thee plenteous in goods (grant you plenty of goods), in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the Lord sware (promised) unto thy fathers to give thee.’ (Deut.28:9-11)
Look around my people; nobody’s afraid of us, our economic situation is worsening every day, the fruit of our loins has diminished, and whatever we have has turned to evil deeds not God, so what does that say to us eh? It’s time to turn back Friends, time to repent, and like the prodigal son, return to the safety and prosperity of our Father’s house. That is the wisdom of all wisdom! Much LOVE!
…when things aren’t going right…the wise will figure out why…and make the necessary changes…
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